


the sun doesn't always shine (but it always rises)

by wonuover



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: A concept, Birthday, Fluff, M/M, Read Already, SOFT????, birthday celebration, but soft, i wrote this???, king haechan, really soft, romantic mark, soft, soft!haechan, very slight angst, wow??
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-06
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2019-05-18 22:30:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14861499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wonuover/pseuds/wonuover
Summary: It's Donghyuck's birthday, but where the hell is Mark Lee?





	the sun doesn't always shine (but it always rises)

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I wrote this in celebration of our Full Sun's 19th birthday uwu. Enjoy~ Also listen to Walk You Home by NCT Dream (bcs it's a bop) when Mark appears lmao

Today is D-Day. Donghyuck wakes up early, a smile already plastered to his face. Sitting up, he looks over to the window and sees that the sun was shining bright. He could hear the birds chirping. His roommate is nowhere to be seen but Hyuck is sure he’s just somewhere in the dorm. Hyuck takes in a deep breath, letting the fact that he turns 19 today sink. He wondered how this day will go. It felt like any other birthday, but at the same time it didn’t. He didn’t want to expect anything from the members, but basing on yesterday’s reactions when he asked the hyungs, he already knows they have something planned. The look they shared with each other gave too much away. From outside his room, he could already hear his 127 hyungs fussing out and about. Looking over to his bedside table, he finds a note stickied to his phone. 

[Good morning, Your present is downstairs :) -M]

He smiles at how silly his Mark hyung is. Leaving notes for each other was more of Donghyuck’s thing so he was a bit surprised that Mark really wrote this thing. Standing up, he takes off the note and puts it in his memory box. Essentially, it’s a box containing all the things that have sentimental value to Hyuck. Looking at the almost full box, he figures he might need another one soon. 

He quickly does his morning routine and made sure he looked good just in case the members bombard him with picture takings. Hyuck was so sure that nothing, _absolutely nothing_ at all could ruin his mood today. It was a perfect day since their group had no schedule, meaning, they could all celebrate his birthday. Coming to the kitchen, he’s met with his 127 hyungs who greet him with a loud “Happy Birthday!” before they all pummeled him with hugs. After the group hug, they lined up on either side of the table and gestured for him to sit, pretending to be servants of a royalty. They had his breakfast prepared and even set up a the table to look elegant enough for a king. Hyuck would be lying if he said he didn’t like the attention and the treatment. 

They give him the best breakfast meal he’s ever had in a while.

While eating, his eyes searched for the person who made him come down in the first place. His Mark hyung is nowhere to be seen. 

“Taeyongie hyung, where’s Mark hyung?” Hyuck asks.

“Oh, Mark had to be somewhere. He has a schedule for today...” Taeyong cautiously answered. Knowing full well that this might bring down Donghyuck’s mood, he quickly added, “Don’t worry he’ll be home in time for the party we’ve prepared for you!” 

“Taeyong, I thought that was supposed to be a surprise?” Jaehyun asked. This was followed with a series of groans and “Oh no’s” from the rest of the members.

“Is it? Oh shit sorry” Taeyong and the members laughed it off.

Donghyuck laughed with them, trying to hide the disappointment in his eyes. _No_ , he wasn’t disappointed about the failed surprise party, he’s actually not a big fan of surprises, he’s disappointed because of Mark. He thought this day was perfect. He thought Mark would be there, celebrating his birthday with him. Turns out, the best present he could have, the present he wished for, is the one he can’t get. He finished his food, thanking his hyungs with the best smile he could manage. They pull him to the living room, where his presents are all piled up. 

One present from 17 people actually _is_ a lot. He felt like Dudley Dursley. They gather round to watch him unwrap the presents as if he was a child and they were his parents, uncles and whatever relatives one can think of. He felt slightly embarrassed because of the attention, his face heating up as he grabs one of the presents.

The first one he opened is from his Jaehyun hyung, it’s a sweater. Donghyuck smiles and gives his thanks. There was a note too so he reads it out loud, “Happy birthday Donghyuck-ah! Use it well. Hyung loves you kkk” Sweet. Donghyuck thought.

The succeeding gifts he opened were all clothes, they came from Taeil, Yuta and Winwin. It looks like they bought it together since th gifts from the three of them literally complete one whole look. Hyuck laughs as he thanks his hyungs. A few others gifted him caps and snapbacks, knowing full well that he likes buying and wearing them. This made him smile even more, to think that there are individuals out there, who notices his interests and cares about what he likes. They have really turned into a big family. All the greetings were sweet too, and different for each of them. This just shows the individual bond he has formed with each of the members. Jaemin’s note was particularly sweet, typical Jaemin being Jaemin. His note reads:

 

_To: Our Full Sun_

_Time really flies by so fast. Happy birthday Donghyuck-ah! I hope you liked my gift! Today I’ll think about you more than I think of the fans~_

 

Donghyuck almost cringed reading it quietly. He was thankful he decided not to read that out loud, else the 127 hyungs, especially his Taeyong hyung would’ve lost it. Jaemin really knows how to use his words right.

The last gift he opened was from Mark. The sadness were back in his eyes but he tries to hide it. He tries to keep his smile from fading and turning to a frown. He doesn’t want the hyungs to worry. With what courage he could muster, he opens Mark’s gift. There were two gifts from the older. The first one was a bracelet of some sort, adorned with little stars and the sun. Donghyuck found it cute. The other one was a bunch of their pictures printed like polaroids and placed inside a jar. For each picture was a message behind them. Donghyuck decides that he’ll save the messages for later, instead, he took the note Mark wrote. Donghyuck reads it quietly to himself:

 

_To: Donghyuck-ah_

_Hi Hyuck-ah! I’m so sorry I’m not there right now. I hope you’re not crying kkk. I just want to say happy birthday, and thank you for always being there for me. I hope you’re always happy because I always want to see your smile. Don’t worry so much about growing old, you’ll be growing old with me. You’re the best, I love you! -Your Eldest Hyungnim_

Donghyuck wants to cry. He badly wants Mark to be here right now. He would’ve known the emotions Hyuck is feeling right now, he would’ve hugged Hyuck and tell him everything’s okay. He misses Mark so damn much. He’s been so busy with individual activities that they rarely spend time with each other anymore. He doesn’t want to blame anyone, especially not Mark, but he can’t help but be upset. Hyuck stands up and grabs gifts, and with what fake smile he could manage, tells the hyungs that he’d just go to his room and sort out them out. The hyungs had a worried look on their faces but they let him be. They figured someone else’s company isn’t what he needs right now.

When he closed the door to his room, the suppressed tears started rolling out. He felt stupid for crying just because Mark wasn’t there to celebrate his birthday, but he had been looking forward to this day so much and it was just so frustrating to think that even though it was his birthday, his simple wish can’t come true. He knows it was so immature of him to act like this, but he can’t help it. 

He sits on his bed, wipes his tears and opens the jar. 

The pictures were of the two of them, from the oldest ones to the newest. Hyuck realizes how much they’ve grown together all these years. Memories of when they took the pictures flooded Donghyuck’s mind as he goes through the pictures one by one.

  


_[Hey Hyuck, you’ve grown so much. You were so small back then. In the blink of an eye, we’re celebrating your 19th birthday.]_

_[You used to cling to me so much! You still do actually, but I’m not complaining. You are so cute in here. Not that you aren’t anymore-- you’re still the cutest!]_

_[Remember this picture? I still had braces and wore those glasses in here lmao. This is probably one of my favorite pictures of us. We’re so cute together.]_

_[My ugly permed hair ugh. Anyways, I’m really grateful to have someone like you in my life]_

_[You helped me a thousand times. Although we bicker 90% of the time, you really cheered me up the times I was sad and lonely.]_

_[We’ve grown so close, I don’t think I’ll ever be the same without you.]_

_[Things are bound to change, but I hope you’ll always stay with me to go through those changes.]_

_[I don’t want to lose you, ever.]_

_[I love you.]_

 

 _Great_ , if he wasn’t ugly sobbing earlier, he definitely is now. He didn’t think Mark was capable of saying something so sincere and sweet, because have you seen Mark? That boy would cringe the moment he hears the word romance. Thinking about Mark just made Hyuck miss him more than ever. Donghyuck thought, _if the gods are hearing me or watching me cry, please send him back home. Please._

The members definitely can’t take any pictures with Hyuck now, not with him looking like a snotty crying kid. He puts the pictures back in the jar and placed them near his bedside table. He heads towards the mirror and tries to fix himself, fix his expressions, pretend he wasn’t hurt. He was the full sun, the sun doesn’t cry.

Later, in the afternoon, the dreamies stopped by for the party along with the members from the other dorm. While Hyuck was inside his room, the 127 hyungs set up the party they prepared. They were having second thoughts about, worried that Hyuck might not like it but with Taeyong’s encouragement, decides to continue it anyways. They will atleast, try to cheer Hyuck up. 

It was crazy having 17 boys in one room, they were so loud and messy. The whole dorm was chaotic but they were all having fun. They sang Hyuck a happy birthday, which probably reached even the houses at the other block. They made him blow out the candles on the birthday cake and asked him to make a wish. If anyone noticed the change in his eyes, nobody said a thing. _I wish Mark was here. _It was bound to come true, right? After all, Taeyong said he’ll be home in time for the party. Hyuck patiently waits for Mark.__

__“Hyuck! You’re now older than the amount of members NCT has! What are your thoughts?” Doyoung asks, pointing the mic and the video camera to Hyuck. Hyuck chuckles and gives an answer, “Hyung, I don’t really care about that. Soon we’ll have to throw a party with 30 members of the group or so.”_ _

__“You wouldn’t have been older than the number of members if we had Hansol though!” Yuta shouted from the kitchen._ _

__“Hansol hyung! We should call him!” Doyoung suggested. At that exact moment, Hyuck’s phone vibrated, showing Hansol as the ID of the caller._ _

__“Oh wait, he’s actually calling me already--” Donghyuck answers, “Hansol hyung!”_ _

__[Donghyuck-ah! Happy birthday! You didn’t think hyung would forget did you?]_ _

__“Of course I didn’t. Hyung, we miss you so much!” Donghyuck raises his phone trying to fit all of them in the frame._ _

__[Aw I miss you too! There’s so many of you]_ _

__“Yeah hyung we’re _Limitless_. Where’s my gift?”_ _

__[We should hang out some time when both our groups are free. I’ll treat you-- oh they’re calling me already. I should go, happy birthday again Hyuck-ah! Bye guys]_ _

__They all said their goodbyes to Hansol. They were quiet for a few seconds but immediately picked up the mood when Doyoung accidentally drops the mic he was holding. Jisung picking up the mic, announced that they should play some games. They formed a circle and played all kinds of games they could think of. Donghyuck was thankful, these whole group bondings were one to treasure in his heart, but his mind was still shrouded with thoughts of Mark. Taeyong told him that Mark will be in time for the party, he should be here already._ _

__Donghyuck lets out a sigh, drowned in the sea of laughter and giggles._ _

__When the manager comes back to take the other members back to their respective dorms, Mark was still nowhere to be seen. It’s dark already. Donghyuck goes back to his own room, tired and upset. He decides sleeping it off would be the best thing to do right now._ _

__A few minutes after he lies down, soft knocks could be heard coming from outside his bedroom door. This was followed by a voice, unmistakably Mark’s, “Hyuck?” he asks._ _

Donghyuck was alarmed. _Should I pretend to sleep?_ Because of lack of a better choice and time to think, Donghyuck closes his eyes and pretended he’s asleep. He hears his bedroom door open and close. Footsteps coming to Hyuck’s direction, he hears a soft “Hey.” from Mark. 

__“I’m sorry I came home late. I didn’t even get to see you awake at your birthday. I hope you liked my gift though. I even asked Renjun for help with choosing what gift and had to suffer from all his teasing. Happy birthday, Donghyuck-ah. I hope you had fun today.” Donghyuck’s heart was beating like crazy. He was thankful he turned the lights off, else Mark would’ve seen the blood creeping up to his face. Donghyuck debates whether to ignore Mark or not. Of course all his mind could think of was that Mark’s already here. His wish is here, what else is he supposed to do? _Ah, fuck it.__ _

__“I hate you.” Donghyuck opens his eyes. Mark’s eyes widened as if he saw he saw a ghost and instantly regretted the last 3 minutes of his life. Mark opens his mouth to say something, probably to try and take back whatever cringy thing he said but Donghyuck doesn’t let him._ _

__“Why didn’t you come home early you idiot? I was waiting.” Hyuck snaps._ _

__“I’m so sorry. The manager didn’t let me leave because they still had to discuss something and I know I should’ve texted but manager has my phone and he was in the meeting room.” He even pouted. _Damn_. How could he stay mad when this adorable dork is being this cute? Still, Hyuck tries his best to fake being upset._ _

__“You should’ve took a bus and went home. If you didn’t have money you should’ve walked home.” Hyuck knows it was unreasonable, and of course he was just kidding but Mark brain literally can’t process sarcasm._ _

__“... Hyuck that would be stupid.” Mark replies earning a kick in the shin from Hyuck._ _

__“Anyways, let me make it up to you. Have you had dinner? We can still go outside.” Mark suggested. This made Hyuck realize that all he had for dinner was the cake they practically shoved to his mouth._ _

__“At this time?” Donghyuck wondered._ _

“Yes, I know a place. Let’s go.” Mark pulled Donghyuck by the hand. Hyuck asked whether he got permission from Taeyong knows already but Mark just said Hyuck could pull the birthday card and they won’t get in trouble. _Troublemaker Mark._

Mark took him to a nice and quiet restaurant. No wonder, it was literally _empty_ save for the two employees they could spot. You could tell they were confused and wondering what customers would eat dinner this late at night but that didn’t stop Mark and Hyuck from doing so. 

__“Just pretend I rented out this whole restaurant for you” Mark giggles before sipping at his iced tea. Hyuck rolls his eyes and mutters a ‘sure’. They talked about each other’s day. How Mark almost tripped at the set-- with Donghyuck commenting ‘it was probably because I was thinking about you too much’ which made Mark giggle again before Hyuck added ‘I was thinking of how to kill you when you get home’._ _

__Donghyuck talked about the games they played at the dorm, how he lost the Uno game and had all 16 members flick his forehead, to which Mark responded by having his thumb softly caress the part they flicked before flicking it himself. Hyuck screams a “Yah!” visibly shocking the two employees left at the restaurant. Mark laughs and Donghyuck couldn’t help but follow suit. They finished their food and of course, after Mark paid, left._ _

Mark suggests taking a walk in the park, to which Donghyuck immediately agreed to. It was cold outside, despite the fact that both of them were already wearing hoodies. As they were walking, Mark slyly grabs Donghyuck’s hand and puts it in the pocket of his hoodie. Donghyuck’s heart probably not just skipped a beat, it forgot how to function in general. His breathing was erratic, _why is Mark being the sappiest shit right now?_

__Donghyuck looks at Mark’s face and noticed the very obvious red in his cheeks. This calmed Donghyuck down, thinking Mark is probably more nervous than him. They continued walking side by side, in sync with each other’s steps. Soon, they found a bench and sat down in silence, both of them not knowing what to say. Hyuck just decides to look up and admire the stars. Tonight, they were shining brightly, not one cloud covering them. They looked beautiful._ _

__His thoughts were cut off when he felt Mark’s lips on his cheek. It was a quick, chaste kiss on the cheek but it made Donghyuck freeze on the spot literally at a loss for words. Mark looks away from him, shocked at what he just did, “I’m sorry-- you just-- you looked so cute I couldn’t help myself and oh my god I’m--” he was cut off by Donghyuck laughing._ _

__“It’s okay silly. But warn me next time” Donghyuck says._ _

“N-next time?” Mark was stuttering but his face had the sweetest smile plastered on his face. He couldn’t help but grin at the thought of a _next time_. They were both so unbelievably red now and is just them or was the cold replaced by the heat? Hyuck’s thoughts were all scattered and he couldn’t find the right words to say but he managed to let out a “Thanks for today.” 

__“No problem. Happy birthday Hyuck. I erm-- I love you. I probably said that too much for today already I’m sor--”_ _

__“Silly. I love you too.” Donghyuck smiles back at him._ _

__“We should probably get home now. We might catch a cold.” Mark stands up, Donghyuck’s hand still in the pocket of his hoodie. They started walking back to their dorm._ _

__As they were nearing their dorm, Mark started singing to the chorus of Walk You Home. Donghyuck laughs at him. He can’t believe Mark, the most awkward and shy bean is being this sweet to him right now. Instead of saying something to Mark, Hyuck just hums in tune to the part Mark is singing._ _

When they reached the door, Mark sings the last line of the song, “ _이따 두시 거기서 우리 다시 만나자 (Let’s meet again later at 2PM)~_ ” 

__

__“We live in the same dorm, hyung, shut up.” Donghyuck while laughing, pulls Mark inside so they could get some sleep._ _

__

__Turns out, Donghyuck was right. Today was perfect and he wouldn’t have it any other way._ _

__

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it uwu, there were images supposedly embedded bUT AO3 IS BEING A LITERAL BITCH AND I COULDNT MAKE IT WORK SORRY UWU


End file.
